Leni Robredo sees path to opposition victory in 2028

By Carlito Pablo

No, Leni Robredo is still not running again for president of the Philippines.

However, the former vice president and now mayor of Naga City believes the presidency can be won by the opposition in 2028.

Robredo laid out a potential path to victory in a widely reported interview on the Linya-Linya podcast on July 11, 2025 by stressing the need for strategic unity and a broad base of support.

To illustrate her point, Robredo cited the inclusive campaigns that brought her allies Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV and Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan back to the Senate in the May 12, 2025 mid-term elections.

“Sa atin lang, if we fight right, may chance tayo. Gaya ng ginawa nila Senator Bam (Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan), kung gusto natin manalo, kailangan mas lawakan natin iyong space natin para sa dissenting views. ‘Yung support pa din ng base [ang nagdala]. Pero more than that, ‘yung strategy din na in-employ nila,” Robredo said when asked about 2028, based on a report by GMA Integrated News about her interview with Linya-Linya.

(If we fight right, we have a chance. Just like what Senators Bam and Kiko did. They allowed space for those with dissenting views. The base delivered for them, but on top of that, it was this strategy that they employed that delivered.)

“Hindi sila naging purist, mas naging pragmatic na klaro sa isip na kailangan itong ipanalo. Maraming desisyon na ginagawa kami for Bam and Kiko. ‘Yung feeling ng iba na parang naging traitor na agad for the cause, pero actually necessary siya para makatawid. Parang nag-pay off naman in the end. They did what needs to be done na without sacrificing their principles,” Robredo said.

(They were not purists, they were pragmatic and had a clear mind that the victory was needed. A lot of decisions were made for them, and some felt it was a betrayal of the cause, but actually it was necessary and paid off in the end. They did what needs to be done without sacrificing their principles.)

As a result, Robredo said that Aquino and Pangilinan got the backing of local officials during the 2025 elections even if these officials did not back her when she ran for president in 2022.

Aquino, who was Robredo’s campaign manager in 2022, finished second in the 2025 senatorial race with more than 20 million votes. 

Pangilinan, who ran but lost as Robredo’s vice presidential candidate in 2022, placed fifth with more than 15 million votes.

Robredo urged allies and supporters to embrace collaboration and inclusivity rather than “cancelling” out people based on a single issue, GMA Integrated News reported.

“Marami pa rin kasi tayong mga kasama na mas puso, mas puso yung pinapairal, mas emotion. Ako, kung gusto natin manalo, ‘di puwede ‘yun eh. Kung gusto nating manalo, kailangan mas malayo ‘yung pagtingin natin at mas malawak,” Robredo said.

(We have a lot of allies who are more driven by emotions. If we want to win, we cannot do that. If we want to win, we need to long farther down the road with a broad view.)

“Ngayon, [just] one move ng isang kandidato na hindi sang ayon sa kanila, aawayin [na]. Hindi iyon nakakatulong eh. Parang masyadong defeatist. We should look for the consistency of their actions, rather than a single issue. Parang sa mag-asawa rin, hindi naman kayo perpekto.  Pero dahil mahal niyo ang isa’t isa, nagbibigay kayo ng espasyo,” Robredo also said.

(If they disagree on one issue, they mob the person with criticism. It does not help. It’s like a defeatist attitude. We should look for consistency of their actions, rather than a single issue. It’s like a married couple, neither are perfect individuals but because you love each other, you give each other space.) 

GMA Integrated News reported that Robredo said that allies have different moves to play so that competent ones are voted into office by the public.

“Halimbawa, [kung] ang paniniwala ko dapat inaatake talaga natin lahat ng kalaban. Okay naman iyon, pero irespeto mo rin iyong paniniwala ng iba na ang tingin nila hindi ‘yan ang way, ang tingin nila mas effective itong [ibang paraan]. We each have roles to play. Merong tumitira, merong nagdidiplomasya, some strategize, but we all work together,” Robredo said.

(If one believes that we should criticize on all enemies, then that is fine. But that person should also respect other allies who might think of a different approach. We each have roles to play. Some criticize, some use diplomacy, some strategize, but we all work together.)

“‘Yung nakita ko kasi sa iba nating kasama hindi gan’un e. Kung ako tumitira, gusto ko lahat tayo tumitira. Hindi naiintindihan [iyong roles eh]. Mahihirapan tayo na wala tayong espasyo para don sa mga hindi eksakto sa paniniwala natin,” Robredo added.

(I’ve seen that some of our colleagues are not like this. For them, if I criticize, I want all of us to criticize. The individual roles are not understood. It will be very hard for us if we are not going to allow space for people who do not share our beliefs to the letter.)

Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. won the presidency in 2022, with running mate Sara Duterte capturing the vice presidency. The Marcos and Duterte alliance shattered shortly after the 2022 election.

Polls indicate that Duterte and Robredo are early frontrunners in the 2028 presidential contest. Robredo has said that she is not eyeing another run for president. Marcos is barred by the Philippine Constitution from seeking another term as president.